After On the Run
by weavingdreams
Summary: An alternate ending to the series finale On the Run
1. Chapter 1

Oscar impatiently paced back and forth over the thick green carpet . Two hours ago, he received word from the NSB that they had located Jaime. He had demanded to speak with her immediately and wanted information about her whereabouts.

Naturally ,the people in Hansen's office had not been accommodating, though they did deign to let him know that upon her arrival in Washington, Jaime would be brought directly to Senator Renshaw's office. Dropping everything, Oscar instantly headed for the office as well.

_Oscar had left the building that day in a fury. He didn't even notice the hot humid August weather for which Washington was famous He hated that he had failed the young woman who meant so much to him. The NSB planned have Jaime spend the rest of her life in a locked compound. He cursed them for their ruthless act of understanding. However there was no way that he was going give them the satisfaction of showing up at the carriage house unannounced. Without even needing to think about it, he had taken a taxi directly to the airport and caught the next flight to LA. _

He had entered the office with misgivings. The last time he was there, he had unsuccessfully fought for Jaime's retirement. He was sure that his failure would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Oscar looked at the clock.. What was taking so long? he worried. . If anything had happened to Jaime , he would personally see to it that the agents in charge never worked for the government again.

Then, finally the door burst open.


	2. Chapter 2

Despite her assurances that she would cooperate, the NSB agents continued to hover around Jaime. In spite of their presence, she caught Oscar's eye the moment she entered the room. She cringed upon seeing the pain and anguish in his face. He knew how much she wanted to be free of the system. But in his eyes she also saw the obvious relief of seeing her safe.

Jaime felt her heart breaking as she saw his conflicting emotions.

"I'm okay," she began to say, but as she started to cross the room, one of the NSB agents grabbed her arm.

"You need to come with us."

Jaime pulled angrily away. "There's something that I need to do first."

Hansen stepped between Jaime and the agent. " You can talk with Goldman later." He said, not unkindly. "But for now you need to meet with Senator Renshaw.

Jaime glared at him. "Might I have a chance to make myself presentable?"

Hansen hesitated. "Okay, a half hour. No more."

As Jaime looked over to Oscar, he nodded. "It's okay. I'll be waiting."


	3. Chapter 3

As Oscar watched Jaime leave the room, he remembered the last time that they had parted. He literally had needed to pull her out of his arms before he rushed out of the carriage house with Max by his side.

_Oscar sped the car down the road as fast as he could without attracting attention. Moments later, he turned down a side road and pulled the car over. He needed a time to regain his composure. Telling Jaime to leave was probably the hardest thing that he had ever had to do._

_Never, until now, had Oscar understood the phrase 'tearing out your heart'. Yet that described his feelings exactly. It taken every fiber of his being to send her away, but he knew that she didn't deserve the way that the government wanted to treat her. She deserved to be free._

_Oscar had fought the urge to stay and make sure that she got away safely. He knew if he were spotted, the NSB would know that he encouraged Jaime to flee. It wasn't that he cared about himself or his career – he knew that he could help her best by being in Washington and staying on top of things. The last thing they both needed was for him to be replaced by an NSB puppet. _

_A tear slid down his face. Unashamed, he wiped it off. More fell, fast and furious, but he didn't care. _

_I'm sorry, babe, he kept silently repeating over and over. I'm so sorry. He was so concerned that Jaime would hear even his softest plea and ruin her efforts to get away Trying to keep back the sobs, he bit his lip so hard that he broke the skin. Still he didn't care._

This time would be different, Oscar vowed. He confronted Renshaw the moment the senator entered the room. " We have some unfinished business," he informed the senator.


	4. Chapter 4

A short time later, Jaime left the senator's office and closed the door. To her surprise, Chris, with Max, was waiting for her. With a happy bark, Max ran over and nuzzled against her.

Needing a moment to gather her feelings, she bent down to hug her dog. She knew that Chris had risked his career when he had come looking for her and she had just walked away from him, yet here he was now with love and hope in his eyes.

Jaime finally stood up and gave a small smile.

Hi." she said.

"Hi, yourself", he smiled back. He was happy to have her back in his life again.

She reached over and hugged him. At that moment Max jumped up and placed his paw on Jaime's arm. She laughed and gave him an affectionate rub behind the ears.

"Hey boy, I missed you." She moved away from Chris and gave the dog her undivided attention. "When's the last time you had a good run, huh? As soon as we get home, we're gonna take a long one."

"Hey, pretty lady, do you need a ride to the airport?" Chris asked.

"Well…sure, that would be great. But…." Her voice drifted off.

Chris thought she seemed distant. _Poor thing,_ he thought to himself, _she's had a rough time._. He shook his head to himself as he thought about the past events.

"Well then, let's go." He picked up the leash and headed out with Max.

Jaime started to follow, then looked back at the heavy wooden door leading to Renshaw's office. Oscar was still inside. Where they making plans for her future? She resisted the urge to listen with her bionic ear. Oscar would let her know soon enough.

Once again she started to leave, but once again she hesitated. While she desperately wanted to go home, she had hoped to have one more chance to talk with Oscar.

Chris poked his head around the corner of the doorway. "Hey, let's move." he grinned.

Jaime looked longingly toward the door once again, practically willing Oscar to come out before she left. It looked like they wouldn't have a chance to talk after all - it was rush hour and the plane left in 60 minutes.

She managed to give Chris a small smile and reluctantly walked out the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Once in the car, Chris filled Jaime in on the events of the last few days. She listened and even asked a few questions, but her mind kept wandering. She thought back to that fateful morning that Oscar had appeared at her door in Ojai.

By warning her that the NSB were coming to "escort" Jaime to her new dwellings, Oscar jeopardized not just his career, but everything dear to him. Chris may have risked his job, but he had family: parents, a brother and sisters. The OSI was Oscar's entire life.

"_Callahan once accused me of being married to the OSI..."_ The words came back to Jaime as clear as the day Oscar had uttered them. _"I love you" he had said and she had flown into his arms._

In the car, Jaime sat up suddenly. She knew what she needed to do. "Turn the car around.'

Chris looked at her in amazement. "Are you kidding? Jaime, it took 30 minutes to go 5 blocks! You'll never catch the flight if we go back now."

"Please go back," she asked. Her blue eyes were pleading with him. "I need to go to the OSI - I need to talk with Oscar before I leave."

Hesitating, Chris took a long look at the young woman beside him, then relented, Somehow, he had the feeling that if he didn't turn the car around, Jaime would get out of the car and use her bionics to run across town.

Traffic wasn't much better going in this direction either. Chris could see Jaime growing more and more impatient; he wondered what was so urgent that she was willing to miss her flight. He pulled into the OSI parking lot. Turning to Jaime , he noticed that her eyes were filled with sorrow. He knew then that his fears were about to be confirmed.

"I'm so sorry, " Jaime began. "You took an incredible risk by coming to find me in the cabin. I said some awful things to you. You didn't deserve that. I will always be grateful to you for coming to help me, but….."

Her voice trailed off. She and Chris had only been dating for a few months. While she enjoyed his company, deep down she knew that her heart belonged to someone else. Trying gently to explain, Jaime struggled to find the right words.

"I think I know," Chris said, not wanting her to finish what she had to say. "But if we could just talk about it, maybe we could work it out."

"No," she explained as she looked toward the building. "There's someone else."

"I think I've known that; but I've always hoped that I was wrong."

Jaime gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for everything." Then she stepped out of the car.

It was an effort, but Jaime resisted the urge to run until she was out of his sight; then, using their bionic speed, she and Max ran the rest of the way to the building.

Jaime waited anxiously for the elevator. Although Oscar probably had not yet made it back to his office, she was sure that he would come back with plans to work through the evening. She took a few minutes to settle Max in his usual place in Rudy's lab; then she headed to Oscar's office.

As expected, Callahan was in her usual place behind her desk; she was getting ready to leave for the night. As soon as she saw Jaime she jumped up to give her friend a hug.

"I'm so glad that you're okay," she said. "We were all worried about you."

Jaime returned the hug with a sigh. "Thanks. I'm just so glad that it's over." Callahan noticed that Jaime kept glancing at the closed door leading to Oscar's office.

"He's not back yet."

"I know, can I wait?

"Sure." Callahan said with a smile. "I'm about to leave, but make yourself at home. It's so good to have you back.":


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_Earlier in Renshaw's office. _

With the meeting concluded, Oscar stood up to escort Jaime out of the office. However when Renshaw asked him to stay, he couldn't refuse. With a wistful look at Jaime, Oscar closed the door. He wanted very much to follow after the young woman, but instead he turned and studied the senator carefully. Not for the first time, he wondered if Renshaw suspected the part that Oscar played in Jaime's disappearance. Still trying to protect the woman he cared so deeply about, Oscar sat down.

Renshaw, however, had other things to discuss. From the senator's perspective Oscar appeared to be listening politely; he even answered a few questions without the senator realizing that Oscar's thoughts were on something else entirely.

Oscar admitted to himself that he had feelings for Jaime for years. He had always pushed them aside; even though Jaime had never fully regained her memory, he would never try to get between her and Steve. He couldn't do that to Jaime or Steve in case her memory ever fully returned.

But when Steve got married he knew that Jaime was not only happy but relieved. In fact, at the wedding Oscar had felt that something special had blossomed between Jaime and him when they were dancing. He could tell she felt it too. Not wanting to rush her, he had bided his time. Then Chris had entered the picture. Once again, Oscar took a back seat in Jaime's romantic life.

Now his thoughts kept returning to the last time he saw Jaime at the carriage house and her response when he had told her that he loved her:_ "I love you, too… I do!" _

Oscar looked at his watch. If he left now, he could still make it to the airport before her flight left.

The Director of the OSI stood up abruptly. "Senator, "he said as sincerely as possible, "I'm afraid I really need to leave now. But I want you to know how much I appreciate your assistance in resolving Jaime's difficulties. As to the "Smithson matter", please contact my office in the morning; I am sure that we can arrange a time to talk it over in more detail." With that, Oscar rushed out of the office.

As usual, his driver was waiting. The car was startedbefore Oscar opened the door. "Jack, take me to the airport," Oscar instructed.

Traffic was heavy and Oscar grew tenser as it came to a standstill. He couldn't remember ever using the car phone for a personal call. _But there's always a first time,_ he reasoned and dialed the number for the airport.

"Yes, I want to inquire as to the status of Flight 702…. I see...ten minutes ago... Are there anymore flights out tonight? Ah, thank you." As the call was disconnected, Oscar stared at the phone.

"Mr. Goldman? Shall I still head the airport?" the driver asked.

In his line of work, Oscar Goldman was used to being disappointed. But over the years, he had become adept at hiding his feelings in front of others. "No, Jack. Take me back to the OSI; then you can call it a night. But I'm going to need a ride to the airport, first thing tomorrow morning."

At what time he would be able to call Jaime, Oscar wondered. It was a game he had played often over the years. In three hours, her flight would be halfway to California... Several hours after that, she would be arriving home. _How soon to call? Tonight? Should he wait until morning? Would Chris Williams be there with her?_ Realizing that the last was a distinct possibility, Oscar began to reconsider his plans to fly to Ojai the next day.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

_Oscar's office- later that evening_

Jaime walked around the office, looking at everything as if seeing things for the first time. She brushed her hand over the dark wooden desk and thought of the countless hours Oscar spent behind it. After a half hour, she wondered briefly if he had left the city on an assignment. But somehow she knew that he would return that evening.

Her bionic ear heard him before he even entered the outer office. The wait for him seemed endless, especially when he paused at Callahan's desk to pick up a few files. Still she waited, unable to utter a word even when he finally passed through the door.

"Jaime! What are you doing here?" Oscar asked in complete surprise. "I thought you were heading back home. Where's Chris?"

"He dropped me off. I told him that it wasn't going to work between us...I told him that I needed to be here."

Oscar's brown eyes were filled with hope, but he waited patiently.

Jaime took a deep breath. "I need to talk to you about something. Back in Ojai... when you said you loved me?...did you …?" her voice trailed off.

"I do love you, babe. I meant every word" He took her in his arms and drew her close. His kiss, warm and tender, was everything that Jaime imagined it to be.

"I seem to remember you telling me something important that day as well," he smiled. "Did _you_ really mean it?"

"I love you, too… I do" she whispered, echoing the words she had uttered that day. She smiled impishly. "And _I _meant every word."

"It was so hard to leave you. The entire time I was gone, I kept thinking of you. I kept thinking of _us_. I thought I would never see you again."

Oscar kissed her again, and then hugged her tightly. "You're back now; that's all that matters." He started to lead her out the door. "Come on, I'm taking you home."

Jaime stopped and kissed him once more. "I am home," she told him, then sighed. "I am home."

**_THE END_**


End file.
